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Physiologic reactivity to startling tones in female vietnam nurse veterans with PTSD
Author(s) -
Carson Margaret A.,
Metzger Linda J.,
Lasko Natasha B.,
Paulus Lynn A.,
Morse Amanda E.,
Pitman Roger K.,
Orr Scott P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20218
Subject(s) - psychology , posttraumatic stress , audiology , service member , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , military personnel , political science , law
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with larger heart rate (HR), skin conductance (SC), and eyeblink responses to sudden, loud tones. The present study tested this association in female nurse veterans with PTSD related to witnessing patients' death, severe injury and/or suffering during their Vietnam service. Nurses with current, past but not current, or who never had PTSD listened to 15 consecutive 95‐dB, 500‐ms, 1000‐Hz tones with sudden onsets, while HR, SC, and eyeblink responses were measured. Nurses with current PTSD produced significantly larger averaged HR, but not SC or eyeblink responses across tone trials. A larger HR response to loud tones is one of the most robust physiologic findings in PTSD and may reflect increased defensive responding.